Saturday, October 4, 2008

Let's complain about the local taxi service!

In a yumcha session last week, my friends told me that the taxi service in our country has recently been rated as the worst in the region. This morning, one of my friends shared this article in Facebook, which is on the same topic.

The past 2 months, I have been driving frequently than I ever had before. I hate (hated, hate still) driving because it adds one more car to the already-busy traffic, it pollutes the environment, it causes fuel depletion too. For these reasons, I always took taxi last time (for years), because I didn't travel much.. I didn't feel the pain although I ranted about it sometimes.

What're the problems? Two problems:

The taxi drivers never use the meter if you're traveling from one town to another. Say, Setapak to Mid Valley, Chow Kit to One Utama, KLCC to anywhere, etc.

Most Malaysians do not queue (esp. couples), I usually shout to stop them from taking my taxi.

The local taxi service has gotten out of control to the extent that we are now rated as the worst country in taxi service provision in the region. We're also featured in the MSN Singapore News<http://news.sg.msn.com/lifestyle/article.aspx?cp-documentid=1682889> too.

I am a residence of Kuala Lumpur and the situation has become worse to me these days as I have to travel frequently than I ever had to, to/from Mid Valley, 1 Utama, KLCC, etc.

The taxi drivers never follow the meter, every time I travel to/from these places, I have to bargain for a good price in order to get into the cab. At the first place, it is so wrong for them to break the rules, secondly, it has made me to look like a an idiot for so many times by walking from one taxi to another. There was once in Mid Valley that I had to try seven taxis.

Another issue is that, most general passengers do not use the queue and taxi drivers just stop their car before the station when someone waves their hand at another end.

Can someone do something about it? It's not just hurting the local consumers, it's also tarnishing the image of our country because tourists don't really love it too.

Act now!

From @yoonkit: @yclian you may need to name specific taxi companies and events, otherwise they won't know how to react.

13 comments:

Yes, the taxi system is a big letdown- I can say it's one the worst in Asean. I don't feel as secure- say riding in a taxi in Malaysia compare to Singapore, Thailand or Hong Kong without the fear of getting ripped off.

Tell you something- I thought i could survive without a car a few years back... but the cab situation pissed me off so badly that I had to get a car!!!

I guess one of the immediate things to do besides your petition, is not to take cabs if you can help it right? Yes it will be tough for cabbies (good or bad cabbies) to make a living- Penang is a good extrapolated matured example of the cab system in Kl if these problems persist in our city.

While in Penang, I ended up walking to my destination at times, because I could not get ripped off, I walked away (following Stephen Covey's 7 Effective Habits- if it's not win-win, walk away from the deal, hehe..). Once I remembered walking about 9km to Gurney Plaza from where I stayed- that's how much I hated getting ripped off by cabbies!! But of course this is not a good solution if you've got business meetings to attend eh. It's not that I hate all cabbies though- I still have very good cabby friends who I can relate too. Those are the good guys making an honest living and let them be blessed then.

Express busses are not that far off either- frequent breakdown, not following schedules, etc, but that's another story.

Problems:1. Refused to use meter2. When I insist to go down, refuse to allow3. No registration number inside the taxi4. Tempered the registration plate number by taking out one number at the back of its plate number.

6. Cannot open the doors from inside7. Window winder taken outso customer cannot wind down window or jump out from the car if we are being treated

Frankly, these happening in the entire Klang Valley and Selangor. Instead of wasting monies to advertise, let's have your people to take a cab, simply from Sungai Wang, Pudu Bus Station, Mid Valley, One Utama and all other places. I can challenge 99% of the taxi didn't follow the rules at all. Consumers may only pray their luck but very slim it will come through as so hard to meet the good taxi driver. Why not many complaints? We had given up.....what being improved? we not seeing....things get worst and to complaint, as I said, 99% of the taxi driver.....not everyone will have the time and we may only say BAD LUCK.

Best part? The website for Malaysian to complaint taxi didn't work....

12apr09 night, its was raining,i drive bck home from jalan puchong to kland lama,i drive at the right handside, lefthandside taxi want to cross his front lori, he never turn right signer to inform people, so finally he cant cross the lori, after mayb 10 second, he chase me and turn right infront of me and crash my car, and then i chase him and never let him go,then he go down and take some heavy thing want to fight with me, i ask him to pay, and of cause he tell all the drity words and say i want to fight with him when driving,he say i never let him cross the road,i jsut wan to say first he never turn signer,and second there is not enough space for him to cross,finaly he away without pay anything,i copy down his car number,but i cant do anything, because our police is suck too,til now their never take any action.i feel sad!`

our malaysia traffic suck, taxi drivvr like gangster, they thought they are king of the road,shame to malaysia!~

I'm currently staying in kl and today, i got into a damn cheater taxi. The taxi drove half-way to my place and only informed me he gonna charge us RM25! I usually took cab from Midvalley to Cheras which only cost me most to most RM15 (even they dun turn on meter) but this idiotic HWC 6951 cab dare to charge me RM25 so much and said it's traffic jam. It was 5pm in the evening and i reached home around 15min (tell me where got traffic jam can reach so fast from Midvalley to Cheras?)..Las time,even serious traffic jam also charged me RM12, running with meter somemore)U see he earn double the amount!With RM25 fare, i might almost reached One U already

Worst, I cant even get down from his cab since he drove half-way and he refused to turn on his meter.

I could complaint him since website is not working and phone take years to go through, wasting my phone bill for such bullshit of waiting. I'm so angry and furious when he dun even wan to reduce the price after i told him i'm a student with my last RM20 in my pocket.

So, if anyone want complaint include me too. I would want any evil scruplous taxi driver to get away..haha..

I too hate to take Malaysia Taxi. It is only when I have no choice, that is when I need to go to KLIA. No meter. Negotiate and it cost about RM70 per trip from Puchong. In my visit to other countries like Taiwan... every taxi uses meter and they even issue receipt.

Nevertheless, when you have no transportation, you would still need to reply on Taxi, so, check out http://www.mobileyp.tel for a list of helpful taxi contact when you need them in Malaysia, Singapore etc

I am a foreigner working in Kuala Lumpur and I always take a taxi for my transport. But this afternoon is a bad one. I was trying to lodge a complaint for Taxi no.: HWC 6319 which I rode this afternoon from Bintang LRT to Ampang Prima Condominium at about 6:30pm..it took hours for me to send my complaint but it doesn't work. So I decided to find other options. What a bad experience I had coz usually the taxi that I take just make a U-turn from Bintang Lrt to Jalan Ampang straight to Waterfront but suddenly this taxi driver go straight to Kampong Melayo which I am not familiar with the place. I asked the taxi driver to use Jalan Ampang but he got angry and shouted at me and saying nonsense..It's terrifying how the way the taxi driver treat his passenger. How I wish taxi drivers should be more polite in treating their passengers to lessen the stress and tiredness that we feel at the end of the day at work. But I understand some taxi drivers here are idiots..

Everyone pls do not take taxi by car plate HWC 2500. This cab drove by an old Indian uncle. I take a cab from LRT station back to my house nearby. When reaching I was asking him to turn into the condo. He refused and charged me RM5 whereby he doesn't use meter. When I asking why it is so expensive, he scolded by and said next time you see my car, you dont get in. He also mentioned why upon getting into the car never tell following meter. I thought this is a standard practice and they shouldn't go against it. This cab is always at kelana Jaya LRT station. Ladies and gentlement pls beware.

I dont want just complain here. Any other place can i complain about puchong tesco area teksi ? I stay in wawasan and i always have driver send me. But recently i try to take cab to office at 11am not pick time, no teksi. So i take bus to main road tesco side, alot teksi. They ask me how much i can pay to my office ... OMG now is 2012 year still have gangster teksi go without meter. How can i halau them since they are not public transport. Please help

I just suffered taxi driver's rudeness hours ago. The guy don't use meter and ask for a bloody high price. He even want to fight with me with a stick while arguing. I don't wanna be racist so I won't say he's race. but what he did really disgrace his race even the country. Fxxkin rude as a barbarian. From 2009 to Now, I personally feel Malaysian cab problems are getting worse and worse. I never cover all, but some gangsters are really unacceptable. Couldn't be worse is there is no such an organization or power to make this situation better.